Today is the annual Hell Day Tournament at my local club. This is the last event of the year. The tournament was snowed out last week so today is the rescheduled day. I got this idea from a club I was in a few years ago. During Hell Day, we set the course up completely unfair, difficult, insane, nutty. As club president, I get to set the course up however I want. Very fun.

Tees

The tees can be anywhere. We’ve teed off of the front porch of the range shack, ladies’ tees, dirt roads dozens of yards from the regular tees, sidehill lies etc. On #10 every year we tee off in the grass by the clubhouse, about 175 yards behind the blue tees. It is a 350 yard drive to even get to the fairway and that landing area is 30 yards wide with trees on both sides. On #16 this year, we’re teeing off from a circle on a dead end street between 15 green and 16 tee. We bring in range mats for those sorts of lies.

On #18 today, a par-3, we’re putting two sets of clubs on the tee. Right handed players must tee off left handed, and left handed players must use right handed clubs.

Fairways

Sometimes we’ll require players hit a pumpkin in the fairway before they can proceed to the green. We may require that their shots go IN a fairway bunker or greenside bunker before they can continue.

Greens

All of the greens have pins in the worst places possible, like in the middle of severe slopes. If you miss the putt, you’ll be 30 feet away. One year I 11-putted #14.

One green last year we made a hole which was about a foot wide. I heard guys saying they lipped out because they played their putts “right edge”??? DOH! On #15 the last few years we put several flags in the green. You can putt to whatever hole you want.

New ideas

I’d like to play the whole course backwards one of these years. Every year we try to make it even more crazy.

Cool trophy

I reaaaallly want to win this year. The trophy for the winner is mega cool.